The present invention relates to a serum-free medium which can support the growth and proliferation of normal human hematopoietic CD34.sup.+ cells purified from sources such as normal human bone marrow, the peripheral blood of patients treated with cytokines (termed mobilized CD34.sup.+ cells) or umbilical cord blood.
The growth of these cells is becoming more important in view of recent developments in clinical regimens for combatting diseases such as cancer, myeloproliferative diseases and autoimmune diseases. However, many media are not suitable for culturing normal bone marrow cells, especially CD34.sup.+ cells because of their high proliferative capability. Therefore, a need exists for developing a serum-free medium which can support the proliferation and differentiation of CD34.sup.+ cells.